BASEBALL

Baseball Blanked in League Home Opener 7-0 by #30 Erskine

MISENHEIMER, N.C. – Erskine College received a complete-game five-hitter from starter Zach McAllister to take game one 7-0 of a Conference Carolinas weekend series with Pfeiffer University on Friday afternoon. McAllister struck out six while not allowing a single walk as the Flying Fleet improve to 13-3 overall, 2-2 in league play. The loss sends the Falcons to 9-11, 3-1.

Pfeiffer couldn’t muster anything offensively on Friday as McAllister allowed just one base runner to reach third all afternoon. That was in the bottom of the second as Jon Gray and Eric Shoemaker picked up back-to-back leadoff singles with Gray later stealing third. McAllister got a pair of strikeouts and inning-ending groundball to second to get out of the jam.

Erskine got on the board in the fifth on a one out solo homer run from Zach Smith. Phillip Herring followed with a leadoff dinger in the sixth to put the visitors up two. A passed ball, two RBI singles and RBI double from Herring opened things up as Erskine put up a four-spot in the seventh. Chase Corn added a run-scoring single in the ninth to finish out scoring on the day.

Smith led Erskine with a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate with two RBI and runs scored. Herring contributed with three hits while scoring and driving in two. Five different Falcons put up the only home hits of the afternoon.

Pfeiffer and Erskine will tangle in a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.